Last updated on April 5th, 2024
St Moritz Lake
Visit St Moritz – Cable Cars, Funiculars
Ride the funicular from St. Moritz Dorf (village) to Corviglia (2486m). Then take a cable car from Corviglia to Piz Nair (3057m) in the Albula Range. You can also reach Corviglia by cable car from Celerina instead of St Moritz. Another option is to bus south for 10 minutes from the St Mortiz village center to catch the St Mortiz Bad – Signal gondola, but you will then need to do some hiking to get to Corviglia. Piz Nair is an international championship downhill ski run, so this area is very busy in winter. Spring and fall are the off season, so don’t expect the lifts to be available then.
Ride the #10 bus for 20 minutes from St Moritz to Surlej and catch the cable car to Corvatsch. You will great great views over the Silvaplanersee toward Piz Nair.
Consider an Engadin Hiking Pass, which covers all cable cars, mountain railways and public transport in the Upper Engadin around St Moritz. Your Swiss Half Fare card won’t help you out on the cable cars for Corviglia, but the Swiss Half Fare card is accepted at Corvatch.
Hotel Waldhaus, St Moritz Lake, © Can Stock / janka3147
Visit St Moritz – Olympia Bob Run
Visit St Moritz in the winter for the Olympia Bob Run. The Olympia Bob Run is the world’s only natural ice bobsled run and also the world’s oldest bobsled run still in operation. The man made natural ice circuit runs from St Moritz to Celerina. Bobsledding for visitors is available. The bobsled run starts just east of the Kulm Hotel.
Engadine Valley near St Moritz, © Can Stock / Hansre
Visit St Moritz – See the Sights of Town
- Walk the Old Town and catch the views of Lake St Moritz.
- Segantini Museum – see works of Giovanni Segantini.
- Engadiner Museum – history of the valley.
- Leaning Tower of St Moritz – built in the 1100s, opposite the Kulm Hotel.
- Watch White Turf horse racing on the snowy surface of frozen Lake Moritz in winter. The jockeys ride on skis behind the horses.
Visit St Moritz – Train Station
St Moritz is located in an isolated area in the southeast of Switzerland near the Italian border. The main access is by train. The St Moritz train station is at Lake St Moritz. The town is on the steep mountain side above the lake. A short walk north of the train station leads to a free triple level escalator to help you reach the town.
Lake St Moritz
Visit St Moritz – Hotels
Kulm Hotel – luxury hotel in the town of St Moritz.
Suvretta House – luxury hotel at the base of Survetta Gondola and overlooking the lake.
Hotelino Petit Chalet – right beside the Celerina gondola.
Hotel Arte – less expensive accommodation in the center of downtown St Moritz.
St Moritz Bad – Signal Cable Car
Visit St Moritz – More Sights Nearby
Travel up the valley to Silvaplana, Champfer, Sils, Maloja and Soglio to see more sights nearby. In the Fex valley adjoining Sils, travel to the Hotel Fex. Alternately travel down the valley to Zuoz and Scuol in the Lower Engadin. Continue past Scuol by bus for another hour to reach Samaun, which is a popular duty free Swiss village. Samaun achieved its duty free status in 1982 because the only access to the town is through Austria.
Diavolezza Gondola
Travel 12 minutes by bus from St Moritz and then ride the Bernina Express route for 10 minutes to the Bernini Diavolezza Bahnhof. Next take the Diavolezza Gondola for 12 minutes. At the top you will catch views over the Morteratsch Glacier.
St Moritz Lake from the town
Savor the Tastes of St Moritz
- Dine on rosti (shredded potatoes), fondue, polenta (cornmeal that is boiled and then fried) and goulash at various restaurants on Corviglia.
- Try St Moritz’ oldest restaurant, Chesa Veglia, for pizza.
- Apres Ski bars and night clubs such as La Marmite, Hanselman, Restaurant Cascade, Bob Restaurant at the bobsled run, Bobby’s Pub, Hotel Hauser and Hotel Schweizerhof.
Landwasser Viaduct, Glacier Express
Glacier Express
Ride the scenic Glacier Express to Zermatt. The trip takes over 7 hours and has 291 bridges and 91 tunnels. This is the world’s slowest express train and the railway proudly advertises it as that. The Glacier Express automatically converts to a cog train in the steeper sections. The train passes over the famous Landwasser Viaduct in the Albula UNESCO Heritage section between St Moritz and Chur. The line runs at an exciting height above the deep gorge of the Rhine River in this section. At Chur the main line heads north to Zurich, while the Glacier Express heads west over the Oberalp Pass to Zermatt. Check out the Switzerland Train Trip blog.
Bernina Express, © Can Stock / silviacrisman
Bernina Express
The Bernina Express winds through the Berrnina UNESCO Heritage section of the Alps for 2.5 hours from St Moritz to reach Tirano in Italy. The service also operates between Chur and Tirano, but that train misses St Moritz. Typical of Swiss Express Trains, take a local train if you want to stop along the way instead. The route has very deep snow in the winter, which can make the trip an adventure.
Catch views of the Morteratsch Glacier and ride along Lago Bianco at the pass. Stop briefly for the views at Alp Grüm and then descend the switch backs to Lago Poschiavo in the valley. Then enjoy a highlight of the Bernina Express – a tight circular descent on the Brusio Spiral Viaduct. The Bernina Express still arrives in Tirano by travelling on the town streets as it approaches the station. The Bernina Express also offers connecting bus service between Tirano and Lugano.
St Moritz Weather
With the high altitude of the valley floor, St Moritz has excellent weather for winter skiing. Expect December to January to have average highs of 30 F (-1 C) and average lows of 5 F (-15 C). In the summer, July and August average highs are 66 F (19 F) and lows of 40 F (5 C). Summer temperatures in the mountains are never much more than comfortable or cool. Precipitation is highest in the summer months and very low during the winter.
Visit St Moritz – Background
About 6,000 people live in St Moritz. The city is sometimes called the “Top of the World”. With an elevation of 1,856 m (6,000 feet) on the valley floor, it is one of the premier ski locations in the world. St Moritz has over 350 km of ski runs. The 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics, as well as numerous Alpine Skiing World Championships have been held in St Moritz. The town consists of two distinct areas: St. Moritz-Bad by the lake and St. Moritz-Dorf on the hillside. In winter St Moritz is dominated by professional skiing and the wealthy people of Europe. In summer the ski lifts provide access for hiking, mountain biking, paragliding and a guarantee of snow above 10,000 feet.
Leave A Comment